nation's capitol. in fact, right now the pontiff is approaching the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception in washington. it is the largest cathedral church in the united states and within the next hour -- catholic church in the united states and within the next hour it will make junipero sarah a saint -- serra a saint. right now the pope being welcomed by 300 seminarians. >> when the mass begins 25,000 people will be on hand and you can see the reception he's getting right here. the mass expected to take about 2 1/2 hours. the pope will deliver a homily in spanish and this canonization ceremony is the final event in what has been a very busy day, and where he's doing it, the shrine, the largest church in the united

states, also the tallest states, also the tallest habitable building. pope john paul ii is there. so very important to the catholic church and, of course, this canonization ceremony with junipero serra at the center of it. the first saint canonized on u.s. soil, a very important moment here for catholics. >> and right now you can just see everybody just overwhelmed seeing the pope in person. this is a wonderful moment for them. you can see the pope is trying to make eye contact with a few individuals, waving to people, of course, giving the sign of the cross and this is a special moment for these believers. the chance to see the pope in person on their territory, right? >> yeah, absolutely. earlier today during his parade around the ellipse and washington, d.c. at several times he stopped, secret service brought over a child, the crowd loved this. this was a very special moment for them just to see the humanized side of him, children obviously playing a very important role with him and the church. >> and speaking of children, we

saw that moment in washington, d.c. where he was in the possibly mobile and -- pope mobile and you saw him embrace that kid. it's always difficult, secret service, they want to keep people at bay but when the pope says i want to see that child, they are going to bring the child to him. >> later in the newscast we hear from one of the children he talked to and he tells us what that was like for that person. this basilica houses 70 chapels honoring mary and reflecting the origins of the catholic immigrants and religious orders whose generosity erected them. crowned with numerous domes, decorated in mosaics. if you know this, in venice, italy, but much larger, again, this is a very big church, the largest catholic church in the united states. >> and we see pope francis now making his way often the pope mobile and making his way into the basilica, certainly speaking to other cardinals there and this is quite a special moment for them as well. you know, it's not just the

people who are there hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope, but certainly to see the leader of the church and, again, just connecting with the crowd. this is what he likes to do. >> yeah, this is the moment many, many wait for because they don't have access to the of course we've got the cameras in there but we have own our dave evans at the site right now and maybe he can set the scene for us of what it's like to be mock the people -- among the people there. >> reporter: it is a warm afternoon here at the national shrine of the immaculate conception at catholic university, the pope arrived here probably about 10 minutes ago driving right behind me in his pope mobile. he went to the other side of the crowd and is now -- has now exited the pope mobile a couple minutes ago and every time that he would go by this very, very large crowd here in washington, there would be a loud cheer of people. he, of course, waving to all of the people as he went back and forth. he has been -- he has exited the pope mobile and we assume he is now preparing for the mass here at the national shrine which begins probably in

about 10 minutes. we are told that there are three supreme court justices here, also republican presidential candidate jeb bush and also thousands and thousands of people, we have heard anywhere from 25 to 40,000 people here at catholic university waiting to hear from the pope. it is a beautiful, beautiful day here in washington, very warm and people are anxious to hear from the pope. >> yeah. >> thank you, david. and, you know, you couldn't ask for better weather. i mean, just look at it out there. >> it is, it is a beautiful day. >> and the pontiff looks so energized despite having such a full day, he's 78 years old, full day ahead of him and then he comes to new york tomorrow and, of course, everybody is waiting. waiting for the pontiff to arrive. >> all part of this process. this canonization ceremony is the final event in a whirlwind day that he has had already for the pope. the day began with a welcome ceremony at the white house, the pope speaking in english, not his native language, wasted no time jumping into the hot

button issue of climate change saying it is an urgent problem that can no longer be left to a future generation. later the pope attended a prayer service with bishops at a cathedral in washington and during his homily he told them they must begin to focus on mercy and build relationships with others. >> but arguably i think the most anticipated events today were the papal motorcades. the pope waved to throngs of people gathered on the streets and as we mentioned, kissed babies and even shook hands with people outside of his residence. we have several reports this evening from both washington and here in new york. let's get back out to dave evans in washington, outside the cathedral where the pope is getting ready for that canonization mass. dave. >> reporter: good afternoon again from washington. the pope is now here at catholic university, he exited the pope mobile just a few minutes ago, he is now preparing for the mass, which is supposed to start probably in about 10 minutes or so. of course another big cheer going on behind me because they have caught a glimpse of the pope going into the basilica, that is what is happening

inside the basilica right now. but the big news earlier today happening this morning at the white house, this pope not one to shy away from controversy. this morning the pope woke to a joyous crowd at the vatican embassy leaving in that humble house. and there he was greeted by the president and first lady. >> your holiness in your and deeds you set a profound >> reporter: one of the largest crowds ever at the white house, 11,000 on the south lawn listened intently to the pope's remarks and what he said surprising. >> climate change is a problem. we can no longer be left to our future generation. >> reporter: the pope today did not avoid controversy. instead, diving right in, on immigration, global warming, even quoting our best known civil rights leader and urging

of mother earth. >> use phrase of the martin luther king, we can say that we have the full -- we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to -- >> reporter: and the president, who has fought so many battles with the republican controlled congress today seemed pleased with what he heard. >> the lord's most powerful message is mercy, and that means welcoming the stranger with empathy and a truly open heart. >> reporter: at the basilica where thousands waited for francis, there was appreciation for what francis said both catholics and noncatholics alike grateful for francis being so direct. >> that's one of the greatest things i think about pope francis so far is he really does tackle the issues. >> i think that's great. those are messages that we want to hear, no matter what, you know, side of the aisle that

you stand on, you know, we have a responsibility to this earth. >> reporter: and what is going on right now, pope francis inside the basilica, he was going down the aisle just a few minutes ago waving to everyone, even doing high fives to several of the pilgrims assembled here to hear the pope. the mass, again, supposed to start here in just a few minutes. the pope is still inside the basilica right now. earlier today at the white house the president and the pope did exchange gifts. the pope giving the president a brass plaque commemorating the conference of the families which will take later this week in philadelphia and the president giving the pope an iron sculpture of an ascending dove, of course that being a symbol of the holy spirit. the mass due to start here in just a couple of minutes. you can see the pope inside the basilica waving, greeting everyone, just to his right, of course, that is cardinal who arely of the diocese -- cardinal worrellly of the diocese on his right.

when we come back, we might be whispering a little bit because the mass will be underway at 5:00 and 6:00. we will see you then. for now reporting live in washington, dave evans, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you, david. we heard about the pope high fiving people. i believe that we were going to try to get some of that video of him earlier, but, you know, this just speaks to his energy, you know, that he's giving to people. he's known as the people's pope, very much connecting with people and i think he feels a lot more comfortable in this type of setting, interacting with people instead of the pomp and circumstance. >> no question. his list of charming episodes continue to grow. yesterday when he got in the fiat, everybody was talking about that and the hem mall nature -- humble nature he is, stopping today to talk to the kids and hold them up and kiss them and high fiving as he's coming into the church. >> a lot of new yorkers are waiting for that too. they want to be able to connect with him as well. >> the pope spent time talking and blessing some of those who turned out to see him. this morning when he left his residence in washington, the pontiff shook hands with the crowd that was gathered

that crowd and he spent several minutes with them before getting his in his car. -- getting in his car. later the pope waved to the crowds and gave many a big thrill. he stopped to bless and kiss babies. children secret service brought to him. you can hear the crowd in the background. a child about being blessed. >> did he tell you to come over to him? what did he do when you walked over to him? >> i give him a letter. >> you gave him a letter? >> yes, she did. i don't think she will ever forget this moment. sophia said she handed the letter -- a letter and a t- shirt and the t-shirt reportedly had pro immigration message written on it, something that the pope has been a champion of. and we are told that sophia and

and a papal visit at 2015 wouldn't be complete without a selfie or two with the pope. the pope posing with some people gathered outside of his residence this morning letting them get a shot at him, go back to the basilica, live pictures of the immaculate shrine. the canonization ceremony is expected to begin in just minutes and, again, look at the grandeur of this picture. this is the largest catholic church in the united states. 10th largest in the world. pope francis will be welcomed by some 3000 seminarians, all lucky enough for them to be there, a crowd of 25,000 expected during the mass. and we will talk more about the man who is being made saint in just a few minutes, bring you a live picture when that happens and if you want to watch this entire mass, we will have it streaming at our website, abc7ny.com. lets move to tomorrow right now. the pope's schedule includes a

to a d.c. area church and then, yep, he is headed to our area. and here in our area there are signs everywhere that the countdown is almost over. street blockades are ready to put in place and people know the pope is almost here. eyewitness news reporter n.j. burkett is live on the upper west side with how some of the people closest to the action are reacting today. n.j. >> reporter: that's right, sade, 67th street and central park west, you can see the huge 8-foot fence is in place, tow trucks are standing by to tow cars. police officers massing akatrina the street, an nypd -- amassing across the street, an nypd command post. it's beginning to look and feel like a military zone with fences and barricades everywhere you turn. we took a drive in the park that the pope is going to take and you can already see the beginning of all of the security measures, the precautions taking place. the barricades lined the drive

but despite the barriers, people are still able to use the park, neighbors are out enjoying the day and tourists are making the best of things before the southern third of the park gets shut down on friday morning. the closure will take effect at 5:00 a.m. friday, very important to note that. 59th street to 81st street from the east side all the way over to the west side. we found a couple from long island enjoying the park today with their grandsons. >> trying to find a garage to park in was a little challenging and we found one about seven or eight blocks away. we went to central park and we did the sail boats, we went to alice in wonderland and ate in the park and now heading home. >> tomorrow i wouldn't want to be anywhere near here. but for today, great. >> reporter: and most residents are saying the same thing, yes, they are a little concerned about the inconvenience but they say the inconvenience is going to be well worth having city. in fact, the one person who may

be the most upset about this may be pope francis himself. he is said he does not want fences, does not want barricades, doesn't want to be protected from the people if in fact that is what happens here. he says he wants to embrace the people. the secret service is in charge and they have insisted on all of this. live on the upper west side, n.j. burkett, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you, n.j. if you wait to figure out your transportation plan, you might be too late. street closures in our area start tomorrow but we have you covered. right now the top of our facebook page, we have broken down those closures by time and neighborhood so check it out. it's all in a video that you can share with anyone who might want to stay away from the chaos over the next few days. as we go to the break one more time, we are going to take a look at the basilica in washington, d.c., a live

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right now we are back with breaking news. there is an accident involving a special needs bus in queens. shannon sohn is lye in newscopter 7 -- shannon sohn is live in newscopter 7 with an update. the front of that car looks completely totaled, shannon. >> reporter: yeah, it almost looks as if that car completely drove underneath that special needs bus. all of this happening at the intersection of woodhaven boulevard and 81st road. you can see clearly the damage to this vehicle. what we know at this point is that there were eight injuries in all involved in this accident. you can see they are working to get some of the special needs patients off of that bus but clearly the brunt of the damage done to that passenger vehicle.

what you need to know as you travel through this area is really no detour is set up but woodhaven boulevard completely shut down in both directions. your northbound delay is going to take you back to jamaica avenue and we are going to bring you along the southbound side to give you an idea of how bad this is because it's stopped dead back to st. john's cemetery. you can see volume spilling onto that as well. 88th road gets you around this as best you can but this is going to take some patience to get through. reporting live over queens, shannon sohn, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you, shannon. yogi berra was a hall of famer with 10 world series championships to his name. one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, but nobody could turn a phrase like him. today with his passing fans are honoring his memory. the marque at yankee stadium flashing his name and photo on the big screen. and a memorial outside his museum in little falls. and president obama paying

tribute with this statement calling berra an american original, a humble veteran, a prolific jokester and a jovial prophet. rob powers here with more on the famed yankees legacy. >> there are stars, there are hall of famers, there are baseball icons, yogi berra fit every one of those definitions. he died last night at the age of 90, a gentleman, a gentle man. baseball star u.s. veteran, there was only one yogi. he was one of the most beloved figures in all of sports and perhaps the greatest catcher of all time, lawrence peter berra, yogi to most, was indeed a true yankee icon. yogi's break to the bigs began in 1946, the list of accomplishments on the baseball field for berra read like this, 10 world series titles three mvp awards, 18 all star appearances and of course

larson's perfect world series game, better was was -- berra was inducted into baseball's hall of fame in 1972. in addition to his achievements on the field berra also served as a proud member in the u.s. navy during world war ii. his museum in montclair will continue to honor him and the memories of number 8 will live on for this pen striped -- pen striped legend. >> they will honor him this evening on their lives. by all accounts, david, an even better person. >> everyone says the same thing. it's those phrases that you keep coming back to. among other things, it ain't over until it's over. it's impossible not to remember those famed yogi-isms. we looked to the streets. >> deja vu all over again, that's a classic. >> the restaurant that's so

crowded that nobody goes anymore. >> yogi says one more crack of you and you're out of the game. and he said ump, i'm only be ferocious, and he meant facetious. >> it ain't over until it's over. >> it ain't over till it's over. >> it ain't over till it's over. >> so many great ones and sadly it is over. if you want to see more pictures of yogi berra throughout the years, head to our website, abc7ny.com. and as we head to break, one more look at the basilica in washington where in just a few minutes the first ever canonization on north american soil is set to begin. we will be right back. that's a big bull. i think that's old cyrus.

1800 pounds of do whatever the heck i want. take the long way, huh? thank you cyrus. lease an mkc for $299 a month only at your lincoln dealer. smells like spaghetti with johnsonville italian sausage. my favorite. bad news. the johnsonville factory burned down brian. it's terrible. well if you can't serve tasty sausage why are we even a family? i may as well move out. well, if that's what yo... you're right. i'll stay. and tomorrow we're going to help johnsonville rebuild that factory. i'll take dinner in my room, with chocolate milk. make pasta tastier with johnsonville italian sausage.

and welcome back. right now you're looking at live pictures from the basilica, the national shrine of the immaculate conception where in just a few moments the pope will begin a canonization mass for a spanish missionary junipero serra who was credited with bringing ca catholic to u.s. soil. >> when that process begins, our hopes are to go back to the basilica live to bring it to you. take a look at the weather here in our area right now. 79 degrees, it doesn't feel like the beginning of a new season right now. it feels like we are holding onto summer a little bit. >> it's glorious. >> we are going to hold onto this weather tomorrow for the pope's visit, correct?

not just for the next couple of days and the pope but this is a day you want to bring back around february. it is absolutely gorgeous outside for the first day of fall so here we transition into a new season but we are holding onto beautiful skies and warm temperatures. as we get things underway, more of the same through the evening. i mean, really there's nothing coming our way to disrupt our weather, 79 degrees is what we have currently in central park and we look at the readings, 31% humidity, winds are calm, pressure falling, this is very cool, calm air mass in place. out on the island, hot pocket 72, great neck has 77. down the shore in the low 70s from toms river to belmont. high rip current risk. if you are headed down there in the next 24 hours, be aware of the south facing shores of the atlantic really looking for those rip current risks to be heightened. planner for tomorrow, 82 degrees, beautiful weather again tomorrow, just a smidge warmer than it was today but feeling like summer overall for autumn's arrival today.

it gets even warmer by a few degrees but the humidity still remains low tomorrow, so you may feel the increase in temperatures but still relatively comfortable. big cooldown coming this weekend and there is a chance for rain on sunday night. so here's what we've got on the accutrack. high pressure in control, that keeps us very, very nice. tomorrow with that increase in warmer air, we may see a few more clouds around than today because it's been wall to wall sunshine and blue skies around here. but the transition to even more cloudiness and the risk for any shower activity really does hold off until late on friday. we see the increasing clouds, then we start to track this system coming up from the south. this is what could bring us rain for parts of the weekend. likely affecting the delmarva around saturday. how far does that edge into our area in the north and how close does it get to philadelphia for the papal visit? that will be a real question mark for us as well. but looks like part of the weekend we will have to contend with at least part of that system. so strong high-pressure system in control, that storm off to

our south will create winds for us going into friday primarily. the forecast now mainly clear tonight, 50s for most of the suburbs, 62 in the city and 49 for the chilliest spots up in the northern counties. mostly sunny tomorrow, it will be 70s at the shore but 82 in the city, a reminder the high rip current risk in effect for the beaches if you're headed in that direction. planning for friday, 76, looks like a good looking day, increasing clouds, but really that's the only wrinkle we can come up with, a bit breezy and windy at times as well because of those two colliding weather systems. saturday and sunday over the weekend we will call it rather cloudy for sunday and hold off putting the rain in the forecast but that really is a close call for us. monday, tuesday and wednesday temperatures holding off into the 70s. bottom line is here, you guys, a beautiful night to be out and about if you have any sports that you're going to, it's absolutely gorgeous, also a lot of people finishing up the jewish holiday as well, it's going to be a beautiful evening for them as they break the fast. so all in all, no major weather

probably a big relief to report. from the west side, meteorologist amy freeze, i'll be back inside in a few minutes. >> thank you, amy. beautiful day in new york and a beautiful day in washington. want to go back to live pictures of the papal visit where the mass is now underway for the canonization ceremony. you can see pope francis there at the altar. >> this is the last big event for the pope today after this canonization, which, again, is the first time a saint will be canonized on u.s. soil. and then tomorrow he will have an amazing day which begins with a speech before a joint session of congress and then at 4:00 p.m.

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now new york's number 1 news, channel 7 eyewitness news . our coverage of the papal visit continues. history being made at this very moment in the largest catholic church in the united states, 25,000 people on hand for a

serra, an 18th century franciscan monk. the mass underway at the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception. >> earlier thousands of people were on the south lawn to see the pontiff where he spoke about climate change. he also had a private meeting in the oval office with the president. >> spectators lined up for hours to catch a glimpse of the pope for a parade near the white house earlier today and he didn't disappoint, living up to his name as the people's pope, blessing a little girl on the parade route. >> we have several reports on the papal visit including tim fleischer with a look at a new partnership with the archdiocese to help the homeless. >> but we are going to begin with abc's karen travers who is live in d.c. where the canonization mass of junipero serra is underway. karen. >> reporter: good afternoon, this is a remarkable scene here at the basilica of the shrine of the immaculate conception at catholic university. it is the largest event of pope francis' stop here in washington, d.c. and this caps a very busy first full day here. about 25,000 people have been

standing outside in this blazing hot sun for hours waiting to get a glimpse of pope francis. now, most catholic masses, most services, church services, are quiet, somber affairs, but when pope francis pulled up in the pope mobile, this crowd went wild. at the largest catholic church in the united states, history will be made. 25,000 people on hand for a massive canonization for junipero serra, an 18th century franciscan monk and the first person made a catholic made on u.s. soil. pope francis' first full day in the nation's capitol began at the white house. 11,000 people packing the south lawn, silent as they awaited the pontiff's arrival. their cheers exploding as he pulled up the driveway in that tiny fiat he rode in yesterday. it was the same pomp and circumstance shown to world leaders, but for the 70 million american catholics, it was personal.

pope francis' profound moral example. >> a leader whose moral authority comes not just through words, but also through deeds. >> reporter: and in rare remarks in english, the pope diving into a thorny political issue, climate change. >> mr. president -- that you are proposing initiative for reducing air pollution. >> reporter: pope then ditched the fiat for the more familiar pope mobile for a parade near the white house. eager spectators lining up for hours to catch a glimpse of this revolutionary church leader, and later at saint matthew's cathedral -- the pain of the sexual abuse scandals and made it clear church leaders need to reevaluate the example they are setting. and today was ceremony but tomorrow will be policy and it could be controversial. pope francis will address a

first pope to do so, and he's expected to lay out his progressive views on issues like immigration, climate change and income but he will frame it as all part of catholic church doctrine, reporting live from washington, karen travers, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you, karen. now more on that person the pope is canonizing this afternoon. he is the subject of controversy. junipero serra is seen by some as a key figure in bringing catholicism to american but native american groups are protesting this move saying the first seat canonized in american soil was no saint to his people. >> totally destroyed our culture, they destroyed our people, they destroyed our environment and they stole our land. what good can come of that? >> while many celebrate junipero serra today, ancestors of the america's first people have not forgotten the legacy the spanish priest left behind as he helped

colonize and convert people along the west coast to catholicism. >> he also was somebody who deep in his heart believed he loved the indians. >> reporter: serra found many of california's missions leading to the creation of today's san francisco and san diego to name a few cities. but historians say the missions also resulted in the brutal treatment and death of thousands of indigenous people. >> going to be the saint of brutality, saint of death. >> reporter: however histons say certify -- historians say he saw himself as a father figure. >> i think serra so loved these people that he would be mortified to know that the decedents of those he cared about the most now condemn him as this evil monster of the missions. >> and here at home a big announcement by the new york city archdiocese. they have formed a partnership with the city to provide shelter for the homeless. >> yeah, it's no coincidence that the announcement comes just one day before pope

francis' arrival. his mission has always been to help the underserved. >> eyewitness news reporter tim fleischer is live from the south bronx with that part of the story. tim. >> reporter: this partnership would help to create safe havens and shelters like st. anthony's here in the south bronx, which is much more than just a place that provides a bed. there is shelter, there is food, there are services to help the homeless. what saint anthony's shelter for renull already provides 35 men each day is what the city wants to be able to provide in a partnership with the new york archdiocese. >> letting us use church facilities that are no longer in use for sheltering the homeless. >> reporter: the archdiocese is pledging 150 beds, another 300 are coming from other faith based organizations, leaving 50 still needed to reach the city's goal of 500. >> we can't see our fellow new yorkers as a problem. we have to see them as people who have not yet been redeemed and helped in the way we need to.

the places available before winter sets in when the homeless are most at risk. >> we are looking to start getting these beds up and running within the next few weeks. >> the city estimates that some 3000 people live on the street 24/7. this new initiative, city officials stress, is for any homeless individual who is not -- who has not come into the shelter system. >> we are looking at places where we can have, you know, smaller groups of people, we can connect them with services, social services that will come to them. >> the critical key archdiocese officials believe are the services to be offered similar to those found at st. anthony's. >> and there will be the attempt to engage the individuals in a very interpersonal way so that they feel at home, there's a connection, which will enable them to deal with some of the difficult issues. >> they are not looking to limit a person's stay and at saint anthony they may stay six months. >> take a personal interest in them, to encourage them. >> obviously homeless services

and social services will provide those services in the city shelters. reporting live in the south bronx, tim fleischer, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> tim, thank you. some roman catholic schools will close for the visit. 31 manhattan elementary schools will closed on -- close on friday. catholic high schools in manhattan will decide on a school by school basis to close or not. some early dismissals are expected, so students can go see the pope in central park. if you're planning on attending any of the pope's events on friday, mass transit is your best bet. p.a.t.h. will run extra trains into manhattan from journal square in hoboken. if you're going about your normal business and rely on mta buses leave yourself extra time because the mta says up to 25 buses may be rerouted from all of the streets closed off. all bus routes near papal events are subject to delays, detours and closures.

to run on normal schedules. metro north boosting service to accommodate the crowds expected for the visit as well. on friday morning the railroad will operate three additional inbound trains leaving poughkeepsie on the hudson line, southeast on the harlem line, and fairfield metro on the new haven line. the railroad says customers should buy round-trip tickets in advance and expect crowds. and again here's a look at the pope's schedule tomorrow. at 10:00 he addresses a joint session of congress, he then visits st. patrick's cathedral church in d.c. and by 4:00 he takes off from joint base andrews. he's expected to land at jfk at around 5:00. he will then make his way to st. patrick's cathedral in midtown. eyewitness news is your go-to source on the information on -- go-to source for the information on the upcoming papal visit. find it on abc7ny.com/pope. political reporter dave evans is in washington, d.c. he will have a live report coming up on eyewitness news at 5:00.

it is not just one of the top gadgets for techies. still to come on eyewitness news, how the apple watch saved the life of a high school football player. from a small rockland county church to a seat right next to pope francis, a special honor for new york's longest serving deacon. i'm marcus solis. the story coming up. and we take another live look at the basilica in washington, d.c. where a mass

back live and you are watching history in the making. the first time a saint canonized on u.s. soil, all this happening inside the basilica of national shrine of the immaculate conception in washington where spanish missionary credited with bringing catholicism to california will become a saint in the catholic church. continued coverage throughout the newscast. and turning to other news, to most of us it's a cool gadget but one teenager says he's alive thanks to the apple watch. the high school football player left practice just complaining of strange back pains and shortness of breath and that's when the device gave him a vital clue.

>> reporter: 18-year-old paul hole, jr. lined up at nose tackle feeling fine. 12 hours later he lay in a hospital bed with his liver and kidneys shutting down. >> my heart was beating really fast. it was almost felt like it was beating out of my chest. >> reporter: diagnosed with an acute condition caused by playing sports in the extreme heat, paul and his doctors believe he is alive today all thanks to this tiny feature on his apple watch, the heart rate monitor. after practice, paul went back to his room for a nap but something didn't feel right. >> i looked at my watch and i saw that my heart rate is elevated. >> reporter: his heartbeating at a rate of 145, that's 60 to 80 beats higher than average. >> i didn't know kind of how extreme that was. i was kind of joking around with my friends like, i think i'm having a heart attack. >> reporter: his trainer raced him to the health center where the doctors rushed to save him. >> if i didn't have the initial push from the apple watch, i could have very easily, you know, fallen down and died on

the field the next day. >> reporter: he only knew about the monitor feature because his father, a doctor, suggested he try it before he left for school. >> it was a catalyst for him to seek help. >> if we hadn't acted, this would have quite a different ending. >> reporter: when apple's ceo tim cook heard the news, he called paul and offered him a new iphone and one other very special opportunity. >> whenever i'm ready, i have a spot in their internship program. >> reporter: ken rosato, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> that story had both of us checking our heart monitors. you have an apple, i have the samsung. i'm doing, have about 77 right now. it's really beginning to feel a lot like fall, sort of, right? >> no, it's not. >> this is a live look outside, your accuweather forecast is ahead. the cool weather is coming, just not today and tomorrow. >> you're right. a taste of it. a reminder by the way, the new fall tv is upon us, that makes it feel like fall.

here's tonight's lineup. >> eyewitness news and sade and bill at 11:00.

[ female announcer ] business travel isn't just about the going. it's also about the going home. and being connected all along the way. whether you're working or recharging, do business travel on your terms. acela. take off. we want to dip back into the coverage of the canonization at the basilica at the national shrine of the immaculate conception. the pope announced in january that junipero serra would become a saint fast tracking has canonization by eliminating

the need to show proof of two miracles so it is now underway. more than 25,000 people are attending this event. >> it really is amazing. we were watching every step of the way of every time -- every part of this visit. this the last visit of the day and tomorrow he's going to make history again because that was a historic moment with the first u.s. -- first time that a pope addresses u.s. congress tomorrow. history constantly being made. >> history being made in new york arriving at 5:00. what's the weather going to be, amy? >> all systems a go. nothing to really slow things down as far as the weather is concerned. it's spectacular outside right now, and heading into tomorrow, the pattern really does hold. high pressure is in control and no extremes in the forecast. i think that's the one thing that makes it -- look at the folks out on sheep's meadow this afternoon, the great lawn is a great place to be as the sun sets. it's easily to take temperatures, beautiful skies

for a lot of folks who have been observing the jewish holiday at sundown tonight, they will break their fasts, so beautiful weather for that to happen as they gather with their families. 79 degrees currently in central park with a 31% humidity, winds are calm and pressure is falling at this hour. the transition here into the new season, this is being the first day of fall, really holding onto a bit of summer and temperatures actually warm up again tomorrow by a few degrees but our humidity remains very low so it's comfortable, very easy transition that's being made here between the seasons. cooldown comes this weekend, we also could see some potential for some showers as the system passes off to our south. so highs today shy of 80 across the board. it felt good and looked good. we will continue with that tomorrow adding just a couple of degrees across the board. so this evening while temperatures are going to fall under clear skies, just the coast spots up here in the northern counties, maybe we slip into the 40s but get back into the 80s tomorrow, planning for the day, wherever you are and as the pope comes here to

new york city, everything looks like it will be very comfortable, very pleasant and easy to take. the one thing that could alter the pattern just a little bit is this low pressure system off here to the south and what i mean by that is this gets a little bit closer as we get into friday and saturday and so does this affect philadelphia and how close does it. >> and it get to new york city for travel is the question. the high-pressure system easing off and that low pressure system trying to come up the coast. that could create a little bit of a wind gradient so things get a little breezy around here thursday and friday, really pick up the wind speed and futurecast shows that getting into the weekend, that's where we could see the potential for the showers so friday night we are tracking them just south of the delmarva and then during the day on saturday how close to those -- do those showers get to us, eventually getting a piece of that before we get into the end of the weekend. but it's those two systems coming together that will create the breeziness, likely the biggest winds south of us and south of delaware. looking at our forecast around

here, cool tonight, pretty comfortable, though, low 60s, coolest spot 49 in the northern counties and then planning for friday, 76 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds. here's your accuweather seven- day forecast, no temperatures climbing above the 80s after this so we will go into the 70s for the weekend, cooling it down as we expected, sunday a high of 72 degrees and overnight lows will be in the 50s and 60s down the stretch as well, but, yeah, almost an applause for the forecast, right? goff applause. >> almost an applause. thank you. >> thanks, amy. it's a very special honor for one man, next meet the deacon from rockland county who gets to sit next to the pope at st. patrick's cathedral. a quick into the delays at the hudson river crossings, no

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lease an mkz hybrid for $299 a month only at your lincoln dealer. breaking commuter news coming in. there is no number 4 service in the bronx right now after we are told a truck hit an overpass there. we are on top of this story. newscopter 7 is on the way to get more details. we will have an update at 5:00. he is the new york archdiocese serving deacon, 91 years young. he will have a special honor. he will get to be part of pope francis' escort but get to sit next to the pontiff. marcus solis caught up with him. >> i will just say hello, welcome to new york city, your holiness. >> reporter: he isn't planning

on small talk but he will have pope francis attention tomorrow. he will lead him to his chair at st. patrick's cathedral then take his seat next to the holy father. >> to seat the pope is one thing. to be that close to him, as close as i am to you and sit there during the service, that is something else. >> reporter: maloney initially studied to become a priest and joined the inaugural class of deacons in 1972. four decades later he is a fixture at st. anthony's parish in nan knew eat. he disdistributes communion to home bound parishioners, a life of service. >> he is trying to tell us, hey, we are all members of the chair, all citizens of this world. let's love each other. >> reporter: he was originally chosen to butte communion at

he declined saying it was too physically demanding. then this honor. >> well deserved honor. he is a wonderful man to work with and we just enjoy each other's company. >> the work he says keeps his young. cardinals must retire at age 80, there is no such limit for deacons. >> you try the best you can. as long as the good lord wants me to keep going, i will keep going. >> may that be for years to come. marcus solis, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> there is still more news ahead. "eyewitness news at 5:00" begins right now. from the white house to the streets of washington, d.c., pope francis' first full day in president u.s. by this time tomorrow he will be toping down right here in new york city. touching down right here in new york city. the pope is at a

basilica in washington, d.c. it's a service to make 18th century ser junipero serra a saint. thousands of people lined the streets and cheered him on. then a midday mass with 450 bishops at the cathedral of st. matthew the apostle. >> political reporter dave evans is in washington with a look at all of today's events. and jim hoffer has more on the final preparations and security in new york. we begin with dave evans in washington. >> reporter: as you can tell, they have begun the mass here. it has been going on about 45 minutes or so now. the big news of the day earlier this morning at the white house where the pope said exactly what he thinks on many

different issues.